Arizona’s Sean Miller wary as UNLV visits McKale Center

TUCSON, Ariz. — Seldom does Sean Miller walk off a court as a loser, and almost a year has passed since the Arizona coach did just that in Las Vegas. It's no surprise he has not forgotten.

"This is your classic big game," Miller said, hyping unranked UNLV's visit to the McKale Center on Saturday.

The 12th-ranked Wildcats (10-1) will put the nation's longest home win streak of 45 games on the line against the Rebels (8-3) in a meeting that means revenge for the favorite and a shot at immediate redemption for the underdog. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be televised by ESPN2.

As for the revenge angle, Miller said, "They beat us a year ago. We had four losses a year ago, and one of the four losses came at UNLV."

The Rebels need to redeem themselves after a 66-56 loss to Arizona State on Wednesday marked the obvious low point of their nonconference season. UNLV squandered a 14-point lead while getting outscored 41-19 in the second half on its home floor.

"It's hard to go through much more adversity from a basketball standpoint than that," coach Dave Rice said before Friday's practice. "The way it went down was unacceptable. It was a very painful learning experience. It's painful and excruciating to go through.

"You will see a committed, reinvigorated team at Arizona. We will bounce back. It will be a huge challenge for us. It's certainly a great opportunity. It's an opportunity to play against a high-quality NCAA Tournament team."

Rice has seen brighter days. One came on Dec. 23, 2014, when the Rebels upset No. 3 Arizona 71-67 and fans stormed the court at the Thomas & Mack Center. But the Wildcats finished the season 34-4, while UNLV unraveled and missed the postseason. Both teams look a lot different now.

Miller had to replace four stars - Stanley Johnson, T.J. McConnell, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Brandon Ashley - after reaching the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament and falling to Wisconsin.

Rice had to replace two players - Rashad Vaughn and Chris Wood - who moved on to the NBA. Vaughn and Wood combined to score 45 points against Arizona last year.

Miller made a recruiting run at Stephen Zimmerman Jr., but the 7-footer from Bishop Gorman High School chose to stay home and sign with UNLV. An injury, an illness and occasional foul trouble have combined to slow Zimmerman for most of the past month.

Zimmerman, averaging 9.9 points and 8.0 rebounds, played 30 minutes against Arizona State but made a minimal impact. He shot 3-for-11 from the field and finished with nine points, seven rebounds and four fouls.

"Zimmerman is a fantastic player," Miller said. "Just watching him, it looks like he's a junior or senior in college. He's smart, he's patient. He's going to have a bright, bright future."

Miller also praised junior forward Ben Carter, an Oregon transfer, as a "rugged blue-collar player who's intelligent and unselfish." Carter produced only three points and fouled out in 15 minutes against the Sun Devils.

The Rebels, 10½-point underdogs, need several things to go right in order to upset Arizona again. Carter and Zimmerman must establish their strength in the paint on both ends. Senior point guard Jerome Seagears needs to run the offense with a purpose and improve his shot selection. Sophomore guard Patrick McCaw, scoreless in the second half and limited to five points Wednesday, has to get more than five shots.

The Wildcats are without 7-foot senior Kaleb Tarczewski because of a left foot injury, but they remain imposing on the front line with 7-foot Dusan Ristic, 6-9 Ryan Anderson and 6-9 Mark Tollefsen. Allonzo Trier, a 6-4 freshman from Findlay Prep, is a leader in the backcourt along with senior Gabe York.

Arizona is 3-0 this season against Mountain West opponents - beating Boise State twice and Fresno State - and is coming off a 92-37 blowout of Northern Arizona on Wednesday. So while Miller's team looks different, the results are typically impressive.

"Every game from this point forward has great meaning," Miller said. "We don't play an 82-game schedule. We play a 31-game schedule. We can't take a half off or take a game off.

"UNLV is one of the most talented teams we'll play all season, and they are going to be ready. We're going to have to play our best basketball of the season to beat UNLV. We're playing shorthanded and we don't have room for error."

Rice said he kept his players in the film room for "quite a while" Thursday to evaluate the Rebels' errors against Arizona State. He talked about a lack of hustle when chasing rebounds and the many breakdowns in the offense.

"In every season, you go through a lot of adversity, and you hope to minimize it," Rice said. "There's no doubt it's the worst adversity we've faced thus far."

NOTES — Rice said senior guard Ike Nwamu (back spasms) is expected to start against the Wildcats. … UNLV has won three of the past four meetings with Arizona, dating to a 74-72 double-overtime victory in Tucson in 2009.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247