UNLV Rebels hope to make run as MW play opens

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — This is the part of the basketball season first-year UNLV coach Marvin Menzies has been pointing toward.

The Rebels (7-6) open Mountain West play at Colorado State (8-5) at 8 p.m. Wednesday, and he’s hoping his team has positioned itself to make a strong run in the conference.

“Right now, I feel good about our progress,” Menzies said. “I just don’t know how that feeling will shake out once we play the games. You’ve got to play the games to find out.”

UNLV has a tough opening week against league competition.

The Rebels have lost five consecutive games at Moby Arena, and oddsmakers have labeled UNLV a 6-point underdog in the game that will be televised by ESPNU.

Then UNLV faces Wyoming at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Cowboys were just in Las Vegas, losing 94-92 in overtime to then-No. 23 Southern California in the final of the Las Vegas Classic at Orleans Arena. Wyoming is 10-3.

“You’ve got to play them all at some point,” Menzies said. “I don’t think (the order) particularly matters in the big scheme of things.

“It really comes back down to the mentality of your players and how they handle winning and losing and how they handle development. I’ve been impressed so far with this particular group in how they’ve handled losses and bounced back. We’ll see what the first two games bring.”

The Rebels should have Troy Baxter Jr. back after he suffered a bruised knee in Thursday’s 71-53 loss to Kansas. But fellow forward Dwayne Morgan, who has had a recurrence of hip issues after undergoing surgery over the summer, probably won’t be back in the near future. Menzies said Morgan’s situation will “be a journey.”

Expect forward Christian Jones, who returned Thursday after missing three games with an ankle injury, to be back in the starting lineup, replacing Cheickna Dembele. Jones averages 10.0 points and 6.6 rebounds.

The Mountain West has the makings of a one-bid conference. As important as the regular season is for conference teams, their fates in relation to the NCAA Tournament will come down to four days in March at the league tourney.

Here is how the Mountain West breaks down. Teams are listed according to their KenPom rankings:

1. San Diego State

Record: 8-4

KenPom: 59

RPI: 95

Best win: 77-65 over California

Worst loss: 76-72 to Grand Canyon

Where the Aztecs stand: The nonconference was another missed opportunity for San Diego State, which for the second season in a row lost games that will deny the Aztecs an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. They went on a three-game skid at the end of November into the beginning of December to plus-100 teams in the KenPom rankings. This is a typical defensive-minded San Diego State team that leads the conference in scoring defense, allowing 61.3 points per game.

2. UNR

Record: 11-2

KenPom: 76

RPI: 34

Best win: 87-85 over Washington

Worst loss: 75-73 to Iona

Where the Wolf Pack stand: They have been the Mountain West’s most consistent team, with a loss to Saint Mary’s and a split with Iona being the only blemishes. Though UNR is on a six-game winning streak, the Wolf Pack ended their nonconference schedule with a 67-66 victory over UC Santa Barbara, which is 1-9 and No. 256 in KenPom. But the talent is there to win the Mountain West championship.

3. Boise State

Record: 7-4

KenPom: 89

RPI: 115

Best win: 71-62 over Southern Methodist

Worst loss: 80-68 to Mississippi State

Where the Broncos stand: Beating SMU showed Boise State again will be a threat in league play. But like other Mountain West teams, the Broncos haven’t been consistent, with two losses to plus-100 teams in KenPom. Their defense should keep them in games; they allow a 64.9 average that is second in the conference.

4. New Mexico

Record: 7-5

KenPom: 128

RPI: 160

Best win: 72-59 over New Mexico State

Worst loss: 77-46 to Arizona

Where the Lobos stand: The heat was on coach Craig Neal entering the season, and the Lobos have done little to alleviate that pressure. New Mexico played an ambitious schedule and had only one loss to a sub-100 KenPom team, splitting with rival New Mexico State. But the Lobos didn’t beat anyone of note, and losing by 31 points to Arizona was a real blow.

5. Wyoming

Record: 10-3

KenPom: 133

RPI: 59

Best win: 81-73 over Northern Iowa

Worst loss: 73-65 to Pacific

Where the Cowboys stand: First-year coach Allen Edwards already is closing in on last season’s win total of 14, and Wyoming’s last nonconference game showed how far the Cowboys have come. They took Southern California to overtime before losing 94-92 to the undefeated Trojans.

6. Fresno State

Record: 8-4

KenPom: 146

RPI: 194

Best win: 63-58 over Oregon State

Worst loss: 84-78 to Prairie View A&M

Where the Bulldogs stand: Close road losses of 84-81 to Marquette and 75-63 to Oregon show Fresno State has ability to compete at a high level. But the Bulldogs have a lot of holes in their record as well, and they have work to do to repeat as conference tournament champions.

7. Colorado State

Record: 8-5

KenPom: 150

RPI: 181

Best win: 72-58 over Colorado

Worst loss: 69-66 to Loyola Marymount

Where the Rams stand: Getting guard Gian Clavell back from about a monthlong suspension after an arrest on false imprisonment should give the Rams a big edge. He averaged 20.8 points before breaking his hand 10 games into last season.

8. Utah State

Record: 6-5

KenPom: 154

RPI: 209

Best win: 72-56 over UC Irvine

Worst loss: 62-61 to Indiana State

Where the Aggies stand: The Aggies have lost to quality teams (Purdue, Texas Tech and Brigham Young), but all were by double digits. They also lost to Indiana State and Weber State, which does not bode well.

9. UNLV

Record: 7-6

KenPom: 187

RPI: 204

Best win: 68-61 over Southern Illinois

Worst loss: 95-45 to Duke

Where the Rebels stand: The nonconference was marked by a brutal December schedule (one-sided losses to Arizona State, Duke, Oregon and Kansas) and a rash of injuries and illnesses. Other than Dwayne Morgan, the Rebels are getting healthier. Now they have the chance at a fresh start as conference play begins.

10. Air Force

Record: 7-6

KenPom: 190

RPI: 231

Best win: 83-70 over Missouri State

Worst loss: 79-71 to Army

Where the Falcons stand: Air Force leads the conference with 78.7 points per game, and the Falcons’ halfcourt offense with its numerous back-door cuts is always a challenge for Mountain West opponents. But they need to improve on the 71.9 points they are allowing.

11. San Jose State

Record: 7-4

KenPom: 209

RPI: 190

Best win: 55-40 over Santa Clara

Worst loss: 79-66 to Portland

Where the Spartans stand: The Spartans have played a soft schedule, which accounts for low rankings. They were picked to finish last in the conference, and there is little evidence to show that prediction was wrong.

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.