UNLV's Loss to Colorado State is a Bad Look for Head Coach Kevin Kruger

The Rebels dropped to 8-8 in the Mountain West Conference following the loss to Colorado State.

Jan 6, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; UNLV Rebels head coach Kevin Kruger looks on during the first half against the San Diego State Aztecs at Viejas Arena. | Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

The UNLV Rebels men's basketball team faced off against the Colorado State Rams on Saturday and came up short, unable to defend their home court. The disappointing 61-53 loss dropped the Rebels to 8-8 in Mountain West Conference play and essentially ended their hopes of climbing any higher than current position in the standings of sixth place. What made this home loss such a bitter pill to swallow was how well they had been playing as of late. The Runnin' Rebels came in flying high on a three-game winning streak with a chance for a huge victory against the third-place Rams who now sit at 12-4 in Mountain West Conference play. 

The way the game played out was brutal for the Rebels too. They found themselves down 14-2 just five minutes into the game but were able to close the lead down to just one point heading into halftime with a score of 27-26. The second half was a back-and-forth battle that the Rebels ultimately lost eight points (61-53) much in part due to their struggles at the free-throw line. UNLV managed to go just 7 of 17 on free-throw attempts. It was a failure at the line too big for the team to overcome in the end.  

BEDFORD 💪 pic.twitter.com/4oQsREV97R

— UNLV Men's Basketball (@TheRunninRebels) February 23, 2025

Following the tough home loss, Head Coach Kevin Kruger gave his thoughts on the game saying, "Obviously, a tough one. We did what we needed to do to give ourselves a chance to win the game. Guys were locked in. There was disappointment in the locker room because of the investment put in, getting ready for a very good Colorado State team. There are a lot of great things that we will take from the film, but the most important thing is that I am so unbelievably, incredibly proud of them for taking that prep and for giving it every single thing they had out there, trying to make it work in a number of situations that were new and that hopefully lights even more of a fire for us tomorrow to get ready for another really good team in conference." 

pic.twitter.com/r6eZVmAtaF

— UNLV Men's Basketball (@TheRunninRebels) February 23, 2025

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