Much improved Canisius next test for No. 21 Rebels

At the semester break, UNLV coach Dave Rice is not ready to assign a letter grade to his team's body of work. As far as the basketball season goes, final exams are a long way off.

The 21st-ranked Rebels' 10-1 record would merit an "A" while their quality of play probably deserves a "B." But all things considered, Rice likes what he sees, especially when looking to the future.

Rice has been working with an incomplete roster. Junior forward Mike Moser is out with a dislocated right elbow, and sophomore center Khem Birch has been eligible for only two games. On top of that, six newcomers had to be integrated into the rotation.

"I am pleased with the progress we've made," Rice said, "and I think that we're definitely moving in the right direction."

Before a break for Christmas, UNLV will play its third game in six days when it hosts Canisius (8-2) at 7 p.m. today at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The Golden Griffins, from Buffalo, N.Y., compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, but they don't represent another cupcake opponent that will be served up to fatten the Rebels' record.

"Our guys understand how good Canisius is, and this is a huge challenge for us," Rice said.

While that might sound like coachspeak, his words hold some truth. Forget about last season, when the Rebels coasted to a 95-70 victory over the Golden Griffins, who finished 5-25.

Canisius has a new coach, Jim Baron, and its leading scorer is his son, junior guard Billy Baron. The Rhode Island transfer is averaging 16.2 points for a team that is attempting 23.6 3-point shots per game and connecting on 39.4 percent.

Rice cautioned UNLV's players to avoid looking ahead to holiday plans or a trip to North Carolina next weekend.

The Rebels' early-season highlights, aside from freshman forward Anthony Bennett's emergence as a star, include a 3-0 road record and quality home victories over Iowa State and Northern Iowa.

Despite not facing a ranked opponent, UNLV is 16th in the nation in the Ratings Percentage Index and 27th in strength of schedule.

Since the low point, an 83-79 loss to Oregon on Nov. 23, the Rebels have put together an eight-game win streak and survived the loss of Moser.

"You see glimpses of what we could be, but I think we need to get a lot better," said senior point guard Anthony Marshall, who has hit 56 percent (14 of 25) of his 3-pointers. "We still haven't played a full 40 minutes of good basketball. We'll play a good first half or a good second half but not two together."

The Rebels were sloppy offensively in a 68-60 win at Portland on Dec. 4, and they nearly blew a 15-point second-half lead in a 62-60 win at Texas-El Paso on Monday. Squandered leads and poor play on the road were problems last season.

"Last year, we started off hot and kind of died down toward the end," Marshall said. "This year, I feel like we get better every time out."

Moser, injured Dec. 9 in a 76-75 win at California and initially expected to be out until mid-January, was shooting perimeter jumpers after Friday's practice. By the looks of it, he could return for the Mountain West opener Jan. 9 at New Mexico.

"Mike has worked extremely hard. The prognosis is good. He's definitely ahead of schedule," Rice said. "He's determined to come back as soon as he possibly can."

UNLV is far from a finished product on the offensive end of the floor, but Bennett, Birch and Moser have yet to play a game together on the front line.

"As we practice and as we play games, our guys are understanding what we're trying to do on the offensive end a lot better than we did at the beginning of the season," Rice said, "and they are doing a much better job understanding our defensive concepts.

"Our effort has been much more consistent. We have practiced extremely well of late. I am pleased with our progress."

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