UNLV sophomore guard Wink Adams is looking for a big game tonight against No. 14 Air Force after scoring a season-low two points on 1-for-7 shooting in the Rebels' 56-50 road loss to the Falcons on Jan. 6. Adams averages 14.8 points per game. Photo by Craig L. Moran.

It's not Wink Adams' nature to be passive. But on one occasion this season, UNLV's sophomore guard became more of a spectator than a scorer.

Six weeks have passed and Adams is still bothered by his performance in the Rebels' 56-50 loss at Air Force on Jan. 6.

"After every loss, every player thinks, 'I could have done this better or I could have done that better.' After that game, I was thinking I could have been more aggressive," said Adams, who scored a season-low two points on 1-for-7 shooting against the Falcons.

Adams plans to make amends at 7 p.m. today, when UNLV (22-6, 9-4 Mountain West Conference) gets reacquainted with No. 14 Air Force (23-4, 10-3) at the Thomas & Mack Center.

A victory over the Falcons would lift the Rebels into a second-place tie in the conference and go a long way toward cementing their NCAA Tournament credentials.

Brigham Young, which leads the Mountain West at 10-2, has road games remaining against Air Force and San Diego State, so a share of the regular-season title is within UNLV's reach.

The Falcons, second in the nation in scoring defense while allowing 54.7 points per game, forced the Rebels to shoot 1-for-18 from 3-point range in the previous meeting.

Senior guard Kevin Kruger was 1-for-9 -- all of his shot attempts were 3s -- and Adams took just one 3-pointer in 35 minutes.

"I kind of laid back a little bit and it kind of hurt my team," Adams said. "I didn't take enough shots and wasn't being aggressive. This will be a different ballgame.

"This is a game we've been looking forward to playing. I think everybody has the feeling that we can beat Air Force if we just take care of the little things."

It was UNLV's big men -- Wendell White, Gaston Essengue and Joel Anthony -- who had success against the Falcons, combining for 40 points and leading the way to a 39-20 rebounding advantage.

Rebels coach Lon Kruger spent most of Monday's practice schooling his players on the intricacies of Air Force's precision offense.

"It's very unique preparation because they do different things offensively and they play really good basketball," Lon Kruger said. "They put the pressure on you all the time. They play with great conviction. They know exactly what they want and they work to get it done."

All of the Falcons' starters are capable of hitting 3-pointers, even 6-foot-8-inch center Nick Welch. But it's not enough to defend the perimeter because Air Force runs so many screens that produce backdoor layups.

"We watched the film (Sunday) and we had a lot of defensive breakdowns, little things that could have changed the game," Adams said.

White, playing his second game with a broken jaw that is wired shut, had a season-low two points in UNLV's 70-57 victory at Utah on Saturday. Adams had his first career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

White is the Rebels' leading scorer at 15.4 points per game, ahead of Adams' 14.8.

Adams is the only UNLV player to start all 28 games and he has led the team in scoring 12 times, more than any other player.

"Without question, Wink has been our most consistent player," Lon Kruger said.

"Especially with Wendell missing games and Kevin being out, Wink has had to shoulder a lot of the burden and he's just done a great job. Every game he's been there and he's competed like crazy."

• NOTES -- Air Force, which has won five of the past six games in the series, ended UNLV's 10-game winning streak in January. ... The Falcons have lost three of their past four games on the road. .... The Rebels are 14-1 at home.