Early tests await Rebels basketball
It’s a common practice for college basketball coaches to set up a few soft spots on the schedule in November and December. Every team needs a so-called guaranteed win now and then, and Dave Rice scheduled a few for UNLV.
But the 18th-ranked Rebels are not preparing to feast on any nonconference patsies for Thanksgiving – Cal State San Marcos, Central Arkansas and Chicago State are not coming to town.
"We understand the challenge that we’re going to have this week," Rice said. "There won’t be an easy game, and that’s not coachspeak."
After blowing out Northern Arizona and Jacksonville State in the season’s opening week, UNLV (2-0) draws Oregon (4-0) at 6 p.m. Friday and either No. 22 Cincinnati (4-0) or Iowa State (4-0) on Saturday in the final two rounds of the Global Sports Classic at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Ducks are unranked, but they attack with quick guards and boast talented post players in 6-foot-6-inch forward E.J. Singler and 6-11 center Tony Woods.
"For us to be the team that we want to be, you’ve got to go through challenges like this," senior guard Anthony Marshall said. "We’ve got to take it head on. There’s no backing down. I think we’re ready for it."
The biggest test UNLV faced last season arrived Thanksgiving week, and the Rebels aced it with a 90-80 victory over No. 1 North Carolina in the Las Vegas Invitational championship at Orleans Arena. Marshall set a no-backing-down tone early in the game with a driving dunk in traffic.
Mike Moser emerged as a pro prospect by recording 16 points and 18 rebounds. He returned for his junior season. Most of the Tar Heels’ cast left for the NBA and will miss the rematch.
"We think our schedule is plenty hard," Rice said.
Here’s a look at what awaits the Rebels as their 15-game nonconference schedule gets tougher:
■ UC Irvine (Nov. 28) – Sniffing a major upset at UCLA last week, the Anteaters let one get away in an 80-79 overtime loss to the Bruins. Senior guards Daman Starring and Michael Wilder are double-figure scorers for Irvine, which opened the season by routing UNR, 78-64. The Anteaters are 3-2 after a 69-65 loss to Southern Mississippi on Tuesday.
■ Hawaii (Dec. 1) – The Warriors wasted a 16-point second-half lead and fell to Illinois 78-77 in overtime Friday. Hawaii (4-1) rebounded to defeat visiting North Dakota 71-66 on Tuesday. Vander Joaquim, a 6-10 senior, is one of the top centers in the West.
In last season’s meeting, Marshall totaled 19 points and 13 rebounds as the Rebels held on for a 74-69 win on New Year’s Eve in Honolulu.
■ At Portland (Dec. 4) – Rice scheduled the game as a homecoming for Moser, who was Oregon’s Mr. Basketball in 2009 at Grant High School in Portland. The Pilots, 7-24 last season, dropped to 1-2 with an 83-64 loss at Montana State on Sunday.
■ At California (Dec. 9) – Allen Crabbe (26.7 points per game) and Justin Cobbs (20.7) are two of the top scoring guards in the Pacific-12 Conference. Cobbs scored 20 in the Golden Bears’ 85-68 loss to UNLV at the Thomas & Mack last season.
This shapes up as potentially the Rebels’ second-toughest nonconference test, and they figure to be only small favorites. Cal is 3-0 with double-digit victories over Cal State Bakersfield, Pepperdine and Denver.
■ La Verne (Dec. 13) – The Division III Leopards, 6-19 last season, will be laid out as sacrificial lambs at Orleans Arena. La Verne, which is located near Los Angeles, lost an exhibition at UC Santa Barbara 74-50 and is 1-1 in the regular season. This throwaway game does not count in the Ratings Percentage Index, so don’t sweat over it hurting UNLV’s RPI in March.
■ At Texas-El Paso (Dec. 17) – Freshman forward Chris Washburn already is the top player for the Miners, who are 1-1 after taking a 72-51 whipping at No. 10 Arizona on Thursday. UTEP coach Tim Floyd forced the Rebels into a half-court game last December in Las Vegas. Marshall scored 20 points for UNLV, which pulled away late for a 65-54 win.
■ Northern Iowa (Dec. 19) – After 17 days away from the Thomas & Mack, which will be occupied by the National Finals Rodeo, the Rebels return for a rematch with the Panthers (3-0) in the low-profile Mountain West-Missouri Valley Conference Challenge.
It’s a rematch from a 2010 NCAA Tournament game, which Northern Iowa won on a shot by Ali Farokhmanesh, who is long gone and replaced by sophomore guard Deon Mitchell (17.7 points per game). The Panthers play No. 2 Louisville on Thursday.
■ Canisius (Dec. 22) – Moser scored 19 in UNLV’s 95-70 victory last season. The Golden Griffins (3-0) could be more competitive this time under first-year coach Jim Baron. He has a pair of high-scoring guards, son Billy Baron, a Rhode Island transfer, and senior Harold Washington (22.5 points per game).
■ At North Carolina (Dec. 29) – The No. 9 Tar Heels (4-1) are not thinking about revenge now; they are reeling from an 82-71 loss to Butler on Tuesday in the Maui Invitational. But North Carolina, led by 6-9 sophomore James Michael McAdoo, still has loads of talent and will put the Rebels in the underdog role, possibly for the first time in the season.
"In the back of our minds, we know they’re coming," Marshall said. "But we’re just trying to focus on the next game ahead. You don’t want to overlook any opponent. Is it the 29th? It’s in the back of my head."
■ Chicago State (Jan. 3) – The Cougars, who went 4-26 last season, are 1-3 after a 28-point loss to Tulane. This is the definition of a patsy opponent.
■ Cal State Bakersfield (Jan. 5) – The Rebels won last season’s meeting 89-57 on the road. The Roadrunners (1-4) set up as UNLV’s last so-called guaranteed win before it opens conference play Jan. 9 at New Mexico.
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.