Rebel Report Card: UNLV vs. Arizona
BACKCOURT: B
It would be warranted to just give the Rebels straight A’s after knocking off the nation’s No. 3 team on Tuesday night at Thomas & Mack Center. But all was not well just because it ended well in the 71-67 win over Arizona. Starting point guard Cody Doolin struggled for the second consecutive game. The senior missed his only two shots and had just two assists while turning the ball over an uncharacteristic five times. He’s got to be better than that. Doolin also struggled on the defensive end, which caused him to sit long stretches on the bench with the coaches. The other senior starter in the backcourt wasn’t a whole lot better. Jelan Kendrick played the same amount of minutes and also failed to score. Those guys have to be more productive. At this point, it would appear the backcourt would be headed toward a failing grade. That’s where Rashad Vaughn comes in. The freshman was terrific, scoring 21 points and adding five rebounds, three assists and three steals. His shots seemed to come at big moments, as well. Vaughn helped carry UNLV to this upset and showed more flashes of why he might be a lottery pick in the NBA Draft.
FRONTCOURT: A+
There aren’t enough superlatives in the English language to describe Chris Wood’s performance on Tuesday night. The sophomore took over the game after halftime, finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. After posting eight points and four rebounds in the first half, Wood became the player everyone around the program has been waiting for since he stepped on campus. He attacked the rim off the dribble and without the ball. He was an absolute force. It was a season-defining 20 minutes of basketball for Wood. Now the question once again becomes whether he has turned a corner or just rose to the occasion. Goodluck Okonoboh had six points and six rebounds in a solid, yet unspectacular outing. He certainly held his own against a very good Arizona frontline, but this grade is very much a result of Wood’s breakout performance.
BENCH: A
Patrick McCaw has been the bench in recent games. Far too often, he has been the only substitute to make any sort of impact. While McCaw was once again outstanding on Tuesday night, he finally got some help. Dwayne Morgan and Jordan Cornish combined for just six points in 20 total minutes of action, but both provided quality minutes. Morgan provided a big body to lean on some of the Arizona bigs in his 11 minutes on the floor. Cornish went 1 of 2 from the floor and made both of his free-throw attempts. Of course, McCaw was once again the star of the group. He finished with 13 points and seven rebounds while running the offense for long stretches in place of the ineffective Cody Doolin. McCaw has emerged as one of the team’s three best players and one of its most consistent.
COACHING: A
It was a tough night for the Dave Rice haters among the UNLV fan base. He got another win over a top five team and his eighth win over a ranked opponent in his time at the school. The Rebels were well-prepared for the matchup against the most talented team on the schedule. UNLV once again out-rebounded a team that was destroying its opponents on the glass. Rice said he told Vaughn, McCaw and Wood they would have to make plays off the dribble when the offensive sets broke down because Sean Miller does such a great job preparing the Wildcats to take teams out of their gameplan. Rice was correct and he put his players in a position to win.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.
