Fantastic freshmen highlight Tuesday's UNM vs. UNLV game

The stars of Tuesday's UNM Lobos vs. UNLV Runnin' Rebels game in the Thomas & Mack could very well be the kids who can't partake in all the activities Las Vegas provides.

The Lobos (16-4, 7-2 Mountain West) and Rebels (10-9, 5-3) boast several players who make up one of the league's best, if not certainly deepest, freshman classes in its 27-year existence.

Even if you don't want to put first-year Lobos forward Tomislav Buljan in the mix because of his age (23) or experience (Croatian pro league), it's hard to find a backcourt duo as impactful as guards Jake Hall and Uriah Tenette — both true freshmen — over the course of the first 20 games of a season at UNM.

Hall leads the team in scoring (14.9 points per game) and Tenette is the team's top scorer off the bench (10.9 ppg). But it's not their scoring that has UNM coach Eric Olen's attention. Both have been making better decisions with the ball in their hands. 

"I think it's just part of their evolution," Olen said. "They're making their way up the scouting report as they continue to play well. They're getting more attention, opponents' primary defenders, more difficult matchups and more (opposing defensive) help when they drive. So the evolution is to try to just make the right basketball play, which, as the defense pays more attention to you is to pass it more. That's an encouraging sign that they're evolving that way."

In two wins last week, Hall averaged 17.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals and Tenette averaged 14.0 points, 4.5 assists, 3.4 steals and 30 minutes per game.

UNLV boasts its own freshmen of note — one of the most athletic players anywhere in 6-foot-9 forward Tyrin Jones (15.0 points, 22 free throw attempts last week) and 6-0 point guard Issac Williamson, who earlier this season had a 25-point, six 3-pointer game in a win at Memphis.

Williamson was a UNM commit who ended up at UNLV after the Lobos changed coaches.

UNLV coach Josh Pastner said that he believes Jones, an extraordinary shot-blocker, can be one of the best players in the country. He's received plenty of national attention after recent monster games.

"I told Tyrin, 'Hey, man. ... You can't be digesting the praise, because that's poisonous. It's dangerous. I know everyone's patting on your back, but you got to stay hungry and have a chip and an edge with yourself. If you don't have an edge and a chip on your shoulder, and you come in and just kind of be loosey goosey, and you're just kind of like it's a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park, then you're gonna get your butt kicked because you're being cool, casual and cute," Pastner, never short on energy, said Monday. "When he plays cool, casual and cute. He's just another guy. ...

"He's getting better and better and better. He can be one of the best players in the country. I mean, he's really high level. As long as he's playing with an edge and a chip and a fight and intensity."

Series notes

UNLV leads the all-time series 43-28. The Lobos swept last season's pair of games, including 81-67 in the Pit on the final night of the regular season to clinch the Mountain West championship and launch an on-court celebration with fans, players, coaches, confetti and net-cutting.

It was the final game in the Pit for former coach Richard Pitino and all Lobo coaches and players, including former stars like Donovan Dent and Nelly Junior Joseph. The latter put an exclamation point on his two-year Lobos career with 26 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots and two steals.

Beanie ball!

UNLV is giving away Rebel beanies to the first 1,500 fans in attendance.

He looks familiar

Williamson might not be the only player who looks familiar to Lobo fans. Rebels guard Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn has a similar on-court game and demeanor (not to mention similar hair) as Lobo legend Jaelen House.

The 6-1 Illinois transfer isn't the defender or playmaker House was, but is a purer scorer (one of the best in the league, in fact). Like House, Gibbs-Lawhorn chats with opponents, fans, whoever will listen and can be streaky, nearly unstoppable, when he gets going.

Reach Geoff Grammer at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) @GeoffGrammer.