Rebel Report Card: UNLV vs. Wyoming

The UNLV men’s basketball team has new life.

A few days removed from being gassed at Boise State and starving for reinforcements, the Rebels get their standout center back and all of a sudden there’s new hope of winning the Mountain West Conference tournament in two weeks.

That’s how well the Rebels played in their 79-74 victory against Wyoming at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday.

UNLV (17-13, 8-9 MW) used a balanced attack to hold off a red-hot Josh Adams, who scored 31 points, and the Cowboys. The Rebels improved to 12-3 at home where the conference tournament will be held next month.

Backcourt: A

There was a chance Jerome Seagears wouldn’t be in the lineup on his Senior Night. Seagears has been dealing with numerous injuries the past weeks, but the senior guard decided to give it a go.

Seagears gave the Rebels a jump start by hitting three straight 3-pointers to open the game and scored a fourth soon after. He’s the reason why UNLV held an early double-digit advantage.

Seagears, who recorded 18 points, cooled off and didn’t score until late in second half to give UNLV a boost during Adams’ scoring streak. Seagears converted on 6 of 8 3-pointers, including a 30-footer in the final minutes.  

With Seagears hobbled, Patrick McCaw took over the point guard duties to give the Rebels a flow on offense. McCaw recorded nine assists and found Derrick Jones Jr. and Stephen Zimmerman Jr. for easy baskets multiple times.

The sophomore guard also had six rebounds and five points.

Just like Seagears, Ike Nwamu scored 18 points on his Senior Night. He was an aggressive driver and went 10 of 13 at the free throw line.

Barry Cheaney got the start for Senior Night. He played three minutes.

Frontcourt: B

 The Rebels lost their lead midway through the second half and could have dug themselves a deeper hole if it wasn’t for the freshman duo of Jones and Zimmerman.

Zimmerman crashed the boards early, but was rusty in the post. UNLV gave Zimmerman possessions in the second half and he found his stride with the hook shot. The freshman center recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in 36 minutes. He played the entire second half.

Zimmerman’s presence gave UNLV another option for Wyoming to defend, which opened up lanes for the energetic Jones.

Bench: B+

Jones filled the stat sheet with a team-high 21 points, nine rebounds, four steals and a game-closing block in the final seconds.

The freshman forward even had a good night at line, shooting 11-for-13.

Jordan Cornish and Austin Starr were the other Rebels to score off the bench.

Coach: B

UNLV interim coach Todd Simon made his team attack Josh Adams, which was the only way the Rebels would slow him down.

Adams only had one foul midway through the second half, but he ended up fouling out in the final minutes. Jones went after Adams on a fastbreak dunk attempt. It was clear the Rebels wanted Adams to defend.

Simon also adjusted the game plan to feed Zimmerman in the post and have Jones cut for easy buckets inside. Leaving Seagears on the perimeter and having McCaw facilitate was another right call.

Everything went right for the Rebels on offense and the defense made the necessary adjustments to survive Adams’ scoring barrage.

If the Rebels continue to click like this maybe they can make some noise on their home court come tournament time.