The UNLV basketball team returns home -- to its real home, the Thomas & Mack Center -- on Saturday to host UC Riverside in the final game of nonconference play (12 p.m., Mountain West Network).
The Scarlet and Gray are currently 5-5 and coming off a last-second loss at Dayton, so you know they'll do everything in their power to get a win and head into the Mountain West portion of the schedule above .500.
It's been nearly a month since UNLV last took the court at the Thomas & Mack Center for a victory over New Mexico State (Nov. 23). Since then, the annual rodeo has sent them on the road (and to Henderson) for the past five contests.
Maybe a familiar setting is what Kevin Kruger's squad needs to get back on the winning track. They are 4-1 at the Mack, and though that was mostly against inferior competition they surely won't mind as long as they take care of business against UC Riverside.
D.J. due?
D.J. Thomas is due for a big game. He has upped his scoring average from 13.3 points last year to a team-high 16.6 as a sophomore, but he has yet to have a true "takeover" moment this season.
Thomas's high for the year is 22 points -- a number he topped on five different occasions as a freshman, so he's capable of going off. He has averaged nearly 15 shot attempts over the last six games, so he's being aggressive; it's just a matter of time before he gets hot, especially considering the last game ended with Thomas missing a game-winner at the buzzer.
Henley's hot hand
Kruger is generally conservative with lineup changes, opting to stick to familiar patterns and rotations. That has been difficult this season, as injuries and underperformance have forced him to make several alterations to his starting five.
The most recent move was inserting junior wing Jaden Henley back into the lineup against Dayton, and that worked nicely. Back from a foot injury that kept him out almost a month, Henley posted 15 points and seven rebounds while making 5-of-8 shots. If he keeps playing like that, look for Henley to get more than the 26 minutes he saw against Dayton.