Rebels not yet ready for prime time or Seattle Pacific

Well, we know this: The suit jacket experiment lasted 20 minutes.

I don't know if we can liken it to Clark Kent emerging from the telephone booth, but Dave Rice strolled onto the Thomas & Mack Center court after halftime Tuesday night in his customary white shirt and tie.

His team responded in a positive manner.

Which is to say it actually made a shot.

The era that has created enough local excitement to fill every casino lining the Strip is under way, and the best thing you can say about the first glance is this: At least the Rebels didn't have to play Seattle Pacific.

UNLV didn't fall prey to being upset in an exhibition by a Division II team as Arizona did last week, but the Rebels certainly didn't appear ready to take on all-comers in surviving Washburn, 58-50.

"We said from Day 1 that we are a work in progress," Rice said after his debut as coach for his alma mater. "Obviously, we need to get better. We have a long ways to go. But in the end, we found a way. It's why you play an exhibition on Nov. 1. We have 10 days to work on things before we do this for real.

"We know we'll play better teams this year. We'll be better the next time out and then better the time after that."

You can want to run like anyone's business and even build a fancy marketing campaign around a transition theme, but if a well-coached opponent that lacks athleticism and skill is overly deliberate in its approach, dictating pace can be impossible. It's the reason Air Force doesn't lose games by 50.

Washburn wasn't going to let this reach the 80s.

Nor was UNLV's awful shooting.

The Rebels made just two of their first 17 shots and finished 15-of-48 for 31 percent. They shot 11.1 percent on 3s. They rushed shots and panicked a bit when others didn't fall. They missed good shots and bad shots and anything in between.

But they're going to shoot a heck of a lot better because it's impossible not to, and they should be better than the 45 percent from the field and 33 percent on 3s from last season because they again have players who don't need a few miles of space to find net.

Kendall Wallace is valuable just being on the floor. The senior guard, lost to a knee injury last year, wasn't effective Tuesday in shooting 0-for-3, but his is a proven jumper that will demand defenses extend and open inside angles and driving lanes that weren't available last season.

Mike Moser is a UCLA transfer who has a nice shot and who obviously is not shy to use it, even though only four of his 13 attempts went in Tuesday.

What the Rebels can't do: Not reach loose balls. Get outhustled. Be near even on the boards against inferior teams.

One thing that kept UNLV in games and allowed it to win many the past several seasons was that it was rarely outworked. If you're going to miss shots in bunches, you better not allow the Washburns of the world -- never mind some of the hefty opponents to come -- to grab 14 offensive rebounds and total 14 second-chance points to your seven.

Forget shooting. That will improve. That comes and goes for all teams. Rebounding is a much bigger issue if UNLV is going to realize what are reachable goals of a memorable season.

This was just sloppy, is all. It was a forgettable opening 20 minutes. It was one of those nights when Anthony Marshall dunked with nine minutes left to put UNLV up two against a Division II team and then inexplicably flexed, one of those games when UNLV players were raising three fingers in the air upon shooting 3s, only to watch 16 of 18 attempts clang off the rim.

Exhibitions can be like this. Michigan State and Syracuse lost them in recent years and made the Sweet 16. Arizona lost its to Seattle Pacific this season.

Rotations aren't set, and guys are pressing to make an impression, and what has worked so well in practice against air and teammates is suddenly being defended by others with the sole purpose of not allowing you to score. The lights go on, and some guys respond and others struggle.

Chace Stanback (suspension) didn't play for UNLV. He will make a huge difference. Oscar Bellfield will be much better than 1-of-7 shooting. Everyone will improve.

But there is work to be done for the new coach and his players.

Jimmer Fredette isn't walking through any doors around here.

"We've got a really good team and great kids," Rice said. "I believe good things will happen for us."

I believe there will be a lot of shooting and rebounding drills in practice today, and not necessarily in that order.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday on "Monsters of the Midday," Fox Sports Radio 920 AM. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney.