5 takeaways from UNLV’s victory over Boise State

Five takeaways from the UNLV basketball team's 87-77 victory over Boise State on Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Center:

1. As Patrick McCaw goes, largely go the Rebels. He scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half, helping UNLV wipe out an eight-point halftime deficit. McCaw is an enigma because he has top-level talent, but often disappears. When he's on, he's really on. UNLV is 10-2 when McCaw scores in double figures and 3-6 when he doesn't.

2. Home court really is that big of a deal. Maybe UNLV would have come back if the game had been at Boise State, but the Rebels wouldn't have had the energy of the home crowd that they got on Wednesday. As UNLV continued to play make plays down the stretch, the announced crowd of 12,586 got really loud, and the players fed off it.

3. UNLV needs to be consistent. Yes, the Rebels are 4-1 under interim coach Todd Simon, but they still have long head-scratching moments. Even against Boise State, the Rebels took too many poor quick shots late in the first half, leading to the Broncos' surge into halftime. If UNLV is to take the next step, the Rebels will need to begin putting together more complete games.

4. It all starts with defense. UNLV scored 55 points in the second half and made 57.1 percent of its shots, and most of that offense came from creating easy scores on the defensive end. UNLV forced Boise State into 11 second-half turnovers, including seven on steals.

5. UNLV must continue to dictate pace. That wasn't so difficult against Boise State because the Broncos favor the transition game. But the Rebels lost at UNR on Saturday largely because they got caught in a half-court game. San Diego State, which visits the Thomas & Mack on Saturday, will try to slow down the game. UNLV must look for opportunities to run because if the Rebels are forced into a half-court offense all game, it won't be a mystery as to which team will win.

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65