UNLV Runnin' Rebels Slide In Mountain West Power Rankings During Losing Streak

Things have not been going well for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team. While we wanted to see them play with more consistency, they have; it's just been consistently bad. What makes this currently three -game losing streak particularly disappointing is the fact that it came on the heels of a huge three-game winning streak, including wins over the Boise State Broncos, San Jose State Spartans, and a massive road win over the Utah State Aggies.

Now they have sunk back down to .500 at 5 - 5 in the Mountain West Conference and are struggling to even stay afloat as a middle-of-the-pack team in the conference. Once a team on the rise, they are now sinking back down the Mountain West power rankings.

Recently, Matt Hanifan of Yahoo! Sports released their new weekly power rankings for the conference, and unsurprisingly, UNLV has toppled down a few spots. This is what they had to say about the slumping Rebels and their next opponent, who they will face off with on Tuesday night on the road, the Fresno State Bulldogs.

Yahoo! Sports On Their No. 7 Ranked UNLV Rebels

"Frankly, there’s been a lot more bad than good from UNLV this season. That said, Illinois transfer Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn has been one of the MW’s best guards this season. He’s averaging 17.5 points, 2.7 assists and 1.6 steals, including 18.8 points on 51.5/41.4/73.7 shooting splits in MW play. He’s playing at an All-MW caliber level."

Yahoo! Sports On Their No. 8 Ranked Fresno State Bulldogs

"Fresno State’s only game of the week last week was a 79-62 victory over Air Force, led by David Douglas Jr.‘s 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. It was one of Fresno’s more complete offensive performances of conference play, where it’s now 4-6 after having just six wins all of last season!"

This is where the Rebels belong, and it's no one's fault but their own. They need to get things turned around, and they need to get them turned around in a hurry. There are 10 games left on the schedule before the start of the Mountain West Tournament, and they have two big games this week against the Bulldogs and the Grand Canyon Lopes. UNLV cannot waste any time, and they have to get back on track immediately, starting at Fresno State.

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