3 takeaways from UNLV’s 95-68 win over Rice

Three takeaways from the UNLV basketball team’s 95-68 victory over Rice on Monday night at T-Mobile Arena:

1. Tervell Beck continues to be incredibly efficient

Beck doesn’t get a whole lot of minutes, but he sure makes good use of the ones he gets.

The freshman from Cleveland, who has played solid defense when called upon over the first few games, once again showed an ability to make an impact on the offensive end as well.

He had 13 points and five rebounds in just 13 minutes. Beck hit all four of his shot attempts after halftime and finished 6 for 7 from the field.

Through Monday’s game, he is averaging 10.3 points in just over 12 minutes per contest and shooting 68 percent.

Beck is now one of five Rebels scoring in double-figures through four games.

2. This show travels

UNLV had earned three blowout victories at home to open the season and while its first road trip was only about a mile down Tropicana Avenue, the results were more of the same Monday night.

UNLV coach Marvin Menzies knows it was an overmatched opponent, especially in the frontcourt, but he hopes the experience of getting away from their home gym helps the Rebels grow as a team down the road.

“I think it was good to play away from the Thomas & Mack for obvious reasons, moreso for a team like ours that has a young contingent,” Menzies said. “I think it’s good to get those guys an opportunity to play on different backboards with different scenery and what have you. It’s still good to have the feelings of being at home, too. But it’s always good to get a win away from your site, even a neutral site.”

While the fans who did show up were very partial to UNLV, there wasn’t a whole lot of them.

After UNLV played in a sold-out T-Mobile Arena last season when Duke visited Las Vegas, Monday’s game drew only about 4,000 fans.

3. McCoy’s cliche game is NBA-ready

McCoy was seen as a potential lottery pick when he signed to play at UNLV, and his play has done nothing to change that.

After his 23-point, 10-rebound effort Monday night, the freshman is averaging 20 points and 11.8 rebounds.

His game looks NBA-ready, at least against the competition UNLV has faced.

He appears all set for the rigors of an NBA news conference as well. McCoy is already well-trained in how to properly handle questions from those pesky reporters.

“I’m not worried about myself, I’m just trying to help this team win,” McCoy said when asked about a potential matchup with Utah’s front line Wednesday. “Whatever it takes, even if I go scoreless. I’m not really focused (on whoever we play Wednesday), I’m just focused on helping my team get better every single day.

“Every practice we try to be better than we were at the last practice, and that’s it.”

UNLV also could play Mississippi, so McCoy was asked if he excited to play a Power 5 opponent for the first time.

“Honestly, we’re not focused on the competition,” he said. “We’re just trying to get better every day.”

What a pro.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.