More than anything, Rebels are resilient

Mike Moser said the game film found a waste basket.

I hope he's joking.

UNLV isn't good enough to forget any of the lessons early-season losses can teach a talented but flawed basketball team.

Recall can be a wonderful tool in March.

So can examples of resiliency.

You saw a large chunk of the latter in UNLV's 82-70 win against Iowa State on Saturday in a third-place game of the Global Sports Classic at the Thomas & Mack Center, a victory that came less than 24 hours after the No. 18 Rebels fell to Oregon in forgettable fashion.

"The (loss to Oregon) was a punch in the face," Moser said. "It was a wake-up call to stop listening to everything, to how good you are or people telling you you're this and that. Every time we step out on the court, we have to prove it.

"I didn't watch film of the (Oregon game). We threw that away."

Joking, right?

The Rebels are proving to be a team of obvious skill and yet one that follows the pattern of a side whose starting lineup includes two freshmen and a sophomore.

Translation: Everything doesn't come together overnight.

Don't rub your eyes. The following isn't a misprint: UNLV attempted only 10 3-pointers against the Cyclones, drastically improving shot selection that was awful a night earlier, when the Rebels took 30.

They didn't shoot nearly as quickly after made baskets Saturday, didn't take as many bad shots, didn't play as undisciplined.

They actually called set plays off makes, insisting the ball find the post before anyone beyond 15 feet could think about shooting.

They played harder than on Friday. They exhibited more effort and intensity and desire.

They also allowed 24 offensive rebounds and 22 second-chance points.

It's a process. You fix one weakness for a game and another pops up. More than anything, what two games this weekend against quality opponents allowed for UNLV is a diagram of what needs to be fixed in order for lofty goals to be realized.

"We have to grow up quickly," UNLV coach Dave Rice said. "We knew after (the Oregon) setback, a tough and difficult loss for our guys, that we'll get better with experience. We understand the challenges ahead. We need to be good right now and that will come with game experience, and we're starting to get that."

The Rebels can't guard me off the dribble at times, amazing when you consider how much UNLV hand-checks. They were also the recipient of a more-than-favorable whistle Saturday, shooting 35 free throws to only nine for Iowa State and being called for 12 fewer fouls than the Cyclones.

Seven players from UNLV went to the line; two did for Iowa State, and only one player had more than one attempt.

UNLV was beaten up on the defensive boards, which had something to do with Iowa State's offense spreading the floor, but not everything. Khem Birch becomes eligible for UNLV on Dec. 17 and you have to believe the Pittsburgh transfer will help improve a shaky frontline when it comes to rebounding.

I'm told Birch can walk and breathe, which will immediately make the Rebels better rebounders.

But if winning is all that matters, doing so after a loss such as the 83-79 decision to Oregon really mattered.

It's important not to let one loss become two and a pattern to be created.

It's critical for a team led by young players to bounce back.

"(Iowa State) was really athletic and had a lot of big bodies that pushed us around," Moser said. "It was tough keeping them off the glass. I was real frustrated, the team was frustrated, with how we played (against Oregon). It was big to come back and get a win to get all that rust and frustration off us. Guys really stepped up."

He did. Moser had 15 points and 12 rebounds in 34 minutes as he continues to adapt to life in a system where the team's best player is a freshman (Anthony Bennett).

Anthony Marshall, who after two games worth of film this week can expect opposing teams to throw all sorts of pressure at him as the season progresses, ran things better at point guard than two assists suggest. Bennett went for 22 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, and nothing says he won't fill a stat line most every time out.

"We came out with a chip on our shoulder," Bennett said. "We did what we had to do."

In this case, just win.

You can never own too many examples of resiliency come March.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on "Gridlock," ESPN 1100 and 98.9 FM. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney.