Rebel Report Card: UNLV vs. Stanford
BACKCOURT: D-
This is going to be a team that begins and ends with the backcourt performance. Friday night’s debacle is a prime example. Cody Doolin got in early foul trouble and was never able to get into the flow of the game. Rashad Vaughn went just 2 of 8 from the field and had minimal impact. Jelan Kendrick was able to assert himself a bit, but it just wasn’t enough. When the backcourt is so vital to a team’s success and a game goes as poorly as the loss against Stanford did, the guards are going to take a great deal of the blame. The top of the zone defense was largely responsible for most of the open 3-pointers Stanford was able to create on its way to a 14-for-20 performance from beyond the arc.
FRONTCOURT: D
Stanford did most of its damage from beyond the arc, but the Cardinal were also able to get a fair share of shots at the rim. Goodluck Okonoboh also got in foul trouble and spent long stretches on the bench. Chris Wood settled down, but his horrific shot selection early in the game contributed greatly to the early deficit from which UNLV was never able to recover.
BENCH: C-
If there was any bright spot at all in an otherwise dreadful game, it was the play of some of the Rebels’ top reserves. Jordan Cornish and Patrick McCaw provided brief glimpses of a spark, particularly on the offensive end, but just couldn’t do it consistently. Dwayne Morgan hit a shot immediately after entering the game and then disappeared for stretches.
COACHING: F
Not all of Friday’s disastrous performance can be laid on the coaching staff. There has to be blame assigned when a team comes out with such little energy and attention to detail defensively. UNLV came out of the locker room lackadaisical and the veteran Stanford team took advantage. The Rebels tried to mix it up with different zone looks on the defensive end, but very little worked. There were far too many defensive lapses throughout the game. Every time UNLV appeared on the verge of making a run to make the score respectable, Stanford had an answer. It was just an ugly game all around.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.
