UNLV men’s basketball to end monthlong layoff because of COVID

The monthlong hiatus for the UNLV men’s basketball team because of COVID-19 is set to end Thursday with a game at Colorado State that will begin a two-game series.

The Rebels last took the court 33 days ago, a 68-58 win Dec. 5 at Kansas State for their first victory of the season. UNLV’s final two nonconference games were canceled, and its first two Mountain West series against San Diego State and Wyoming were postponed.

“The guys are thrilled. You could see that when we started practice again Monday,” UNLV coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “They were excited and had smiles on their faces.”

The Rebels and Rams will tip off at 5 p.m. Thursday and 1 p.m. Saturday at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado.

UNLV (1-4, 0-0 MW) shut down all in-person basketball activities Dec. 15 after Otzelberger tested positive for COVID-19. That meant the Rebels had to get creative to try to improve before conference play.

“A lot of Zoom calls, trying to check in on guys’ health, safety and well-being,” Otzelberger said. “We gave them books to read and film to watch, games to watch, teams to scout. We were just encouraging them to take care of each other and look out for each other.”

Otzelberger said his biggest concerns are conditioning and an ability to get back into an offensive flow, as the Rebels will meet a Colorado State team that has played four conference games.

Our guys aren’t going to be in the shape we’d like to be in, so you look at playing more guys, playing shorter stints,” Otzelberger said. “The offensive rhythm, that will be something we will gradually look to rebuild. It will be hard to get right back to it.”

The Rams (6-2, 3-1) swept Fresno State in two home games and split two games at San Diego State. They won the first game 70-67 on Saturday before losing 78-65 on Monday.

Otzelberger said the new conference series format presents its own set of challenges, but he looks at it “as a one-game battle.”

“You see what happened with Colorado State and San Diego State, where you have two totally different games. You have to get ready to win the first one,” Otzelberger said. “After that one’s over, quickly regroup, adapt to what you need, adjust and find a way to get that second one.”

Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2936. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.