UNLV survives opener
UNLV's first game of the season didn't go quite the way a lot of fans were hoping that it would, but when we all lay our heads down to go to sleep tonight the Runnin' Rebels are 1-0 after defeating Cal Poly, 74-72, at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Using a deep roster that saw nine different players get 15+ minutes of game action, UNLV fought off the Mustangs down to the final possession in what head coach Dave Rice called a "mentally and physically tough" performance from his squad.
Patrick McCaw, who only took one shot attempt in the first half, came to life in the second half to lead the Rebels with 15 points. Freshman Stephen Zimmerman Jr. finished with 12 points and nine rebounds in his first real game action.
Cal Poly hung around because UNLV just couldn't put the Mustangs away. UNLV committed 19 turnovers, many coming in a stretch toward the end of the second half, that fueled a seemingly defeated visiting club.
UNLV grabbed an 11-point lead after trailing at the intermission, but failed to build upon it. Joel Awich and David Nwaba both notched 15 points in the loss.
FOUL HAPPY
It would be much easier to be able to tell what both teams did well if there was any semblance of a flow to the contest. Officials Eric Curry, D.G. Nelson and Ryan McDaniel made sure that they would impact the game in a major whistling the two teams for a combined 54 fouls.
UNLV shot nearly as many free throws as it did field goal attempts (40 to 51), making 25 of them. It is something that the Rebels will have to improve on quickly if games are going to continue being called in this manner.
Under a new rule format that was put into place to clean up the action, it made matters much worse, and, quite frankly, unbearable. Twenty-one players took the floor for the two teams and only one participant finished with a zero in the foul column of the box score - Trevor John of Cal Poly. Seven players finished with four fouls and five with three.
If this is the new normal in college basketball, it stinks. However, UNLV, armed with a stacked roster, will have to use it to its advantage. The Rebels shot 62.5% from the free throw line on Friday night. That will have to get better.
NEW FACES
Six of the 10 Rebels that played tonight were stepping onto the Tarkanian Court floor for their very first time in a real game. For the most part, all looked pretty decent in doing so.
Ike Nwamu, who started at the wing position, was the lone newcomer that didn't play his best game. The Mercer transfer shot just 1-of-6 from the field and had four turnovers without an assist.
Derrick Jones Jr. showcased his high-flying ability with the Rebels only dunk of the night when he took a pass behind the zone for an alley-oop that was designed in a time out. The strategy worked as the Mustangs quickly went to a man-to-man defense right afterward.
Finishing with eight points, Jones Jr. went 4-for-4 from the field and made a spectacular shot close to the rim with defenders hanging all over him. This is one freshman that has already exceeded all expectations of him.
Ben Carter, who played at BIshop Gorman and transferred from Oregon, played 15 minutes and had five points and six rebounds. Carter had a key board late in the game that would've been an easy put-back by Cal Poly. It's those little things that he does so well and should benefit the Rebels all year.
MOVING ON
On a day when UCLA, Wisconsin, Marquette, Illinois and Arizona State all lost as big home favorites, UNLV's end result of a victory is the most important statistic. The Rebels showed numerous times that this group has potential to be very good, but need to clean up some key areas.
The Rebels will get two more chances to improve in the next five days with home games against New Mexico Highlands and Southern Utah. Rice and his staff will have a better understanding of where his team is at when it heads to Maui next weekend.
For now, the Rebels will be thankful for the win.
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