UNLV's Texbook Fast Break

One game that really took me by surprise today in the 16 first round games of the tournament was UNLV's domination over Kent St. I've seen Kent St. play a couple of times and they looked good, especially the way they play defense. But they committed so many unexplainable turnovers over and over that pretty much doomed them by halftime.

But credit UNLV, they played their game and didn't let the moment of being in the tournament get the best of them. UNLV doesn't have a lot of height, but they play fast. In this clip, it shows them running the fast break,



The other day, I wrote about what not to do on a 3-on-1 fast break. UNLV does the exact opposite here. They dribble right down the middle forcing the defense to commit before making the pass. Textbook,


Summary:

The Running Rebels have the unenviable task of going up against Kansas next. I don't think they matchup well as Kansas is not a team that you can press against due to their superior size, speed and overall athleticism. But really, the Rebels don't really have anything else they can rely on. If they can somehow force some turnovers early, and make Kansas just a little self-conscious they could steal the win.

If you're a big UNLV fan, then you'll probably want to look at Lon Kruger's DVD on his Essential Drills. Talk fast break at the X's and O's Basketball Forum with other great coaches from around the world.